My First Giveaway – A Money Saving Printer

This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who participated. Your overwhelming support was highly appreciated!

And the winner is: Pam at Day Song Reflections . Congratulations, Pam!

Please check out her blog and while you are here...some of my other posts :-)

Note: I used the random number generator at mathgoodies.com to select the winner...cool tool.



“Let’s print one out” suggests The Hamster.

“Ah…sure” (Guess I should buy a six pack of ink at this rate – that would cost…how much?!)

Whether your child goes to school or you home school, you probably find yourself printing out a wide variety of materials for your child. Where we once used reference books and encyclopedias, we now use the web. Where we once laboriously copied from a magazine, we now print out. Where we once used elbow grease we now use ink….lots of it.

So, my first blog giveaway is…a printer that doesn’t use less ink but rather…the ink is lots cheaper – the Kodak Easy Share 5300 printer. I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and while it uses the same amount of ink, more or less than my HP, the ink cartridges are $ 9.99 for black and $14.99 for color…yes, you read that right!!!!! Good-bye $20.00 ink cartridges. It's a great printer too...just check out this review from a techy type.

So...do you want a $199.00 printer? For free? The Kodak Team has supplied me with one to giveaway.

It’s easy to enter this contest. Just fill in the Mister Linky Box below. That’s it. You'll be entered to be the one lucky winner who gets this printer. I’ll be selecting the one winner on November 7th.

(Just for fun…and if you need, as I sometimes do…an idea for a post, you can also post a picture on your site of a school project or something you printed out for school, home school or just about anything for your kids and link back to this post. Send me an e-mail and I’ll feature your picture and a link to your post on my blog.)

But, remember you just need to enter your name and URL in the Mr. Linky Box to have a chance to win. (If you don't have a blog, just enter your email address beside or instead of your name.)



THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED


BTW- I’ll give you an update on Kodak's marketing strategy behind this a little later in the week…it’s a break from the razor and razor blade strategy and a move to the “make it up in volume” strategy. I’ll link back here.

This giveaway is part of the Fall, Y'all Bloggy Giveaway at Shannon’s Place.

It will also be featured at Laura Williams Musings

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A Reader asks…Where to Buy Organic Cotton for Older Children

Since sometimes readers ask really good questions in my comments and sometimes they get lost…especially when I am particularly loquacious. So, I thought I might start posting them since….unfortunately, I don’t have all of the answers in the world. (Don’t tell my DS.)

I’m hoping some of you, my intelligent and informed readers, might have some ideas…probably, no defiantly, better than mine!

Here’s Kelly’s question:

Hi there,

Just wanted to say I love your blog, so much info..its great. I do have a question however. There are so many places to find organics for babies/toddlers..now what about older kids..my daughter is 8 and I would like to find some organic pj's,underwear and perhaps some sheets for her bed. It has been hard to find natural things for older kids, especially tolietries too. Any info you have would be great. Thanks!



Here's my answer:


Kelly,

That's a great question...I've wondered about that too.

Bed, Bath and Beyond carries "Simply Organic" brand of sheets and bedding.

Some of the usual suspects...Patagonia…L.L. Bean, etc. have some organic clothes.

I also have picked up a few shirts etc at Wild Oats, Whole Foods and other odd places.


Now – where else?

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Clay Play

There is more to clay than just modeling,.

Squishing, squashing, drying and reconstituting – a multitude of ways to play.

More Wordless Wednesday


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Quick and Easy Halloween Mask Craft

Last weekend we went to a family Halloween party.

Apparently my cover as a “crafty person” has yet to be blown since I was asked to bring a craft activity for the attending kids. Despite the fact that I had at least a month to prepare for this I waited until the week before to get serious about devising a craft.


And then…my DS unexpectedly was off school.

For the whole week.

Inside with me.

Which sort of blew my plans.

And so, of course, 5 short hours prior to the party, I found myself at Michael’s purchasing the needed supplies.

And of course, after all of my scrambling we didn’t get to the craft during the party because the kids were having too much fun running from one end of the house to the other.

And, of course…it really was an awesome and well beloved craft as I found out the next day when I sprang it on my DS and the neighbor children as an afternoon no particular reason activity. At least the participants seemed to think so.




Sometimes things just work out.

Halloween or Anytime Mask Craft

Supplies all available at most craft stores

White Plastic Masks (or Foamie Masks)

Halloween themed Foamies

Foamie markers.

Cheap, quick and decidedly not crunchy.

In retrospect, to be a bit more eco, I should have used fabric masks, also available at craft stores, pre-cut pieces of felt and fabric markers. That would have fulfilled my crunchy needs and been more comfortable for the wearer. Ah, well…one can’t always be crunchy…or at least I can’t.


Visit Scribbit's Winter Bazaar for more ideas!

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My Sweet Treat

Bridget at Miles to Go Before we Sleep graciously awarded me the "One Sweet Treat to Read" award last week. It's a nice fit with Halloween don't you think?

I'm going to pass this on to:

Jane at My Many Colored Crayons

Gift of Green

and Jennifer at Eco Child's play

Don't forget to check out Miles to Go Before we Sleep too - it's an interesting blog about a family of 5 with two autistic children and one adoptee from China on the way.


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Safe and Healthy Halloween Treats Under a Dollar

Each year instead of candy, we give out small trinkets and toys for Halloween. I’ve thought about handing out food that is not candy but, that inevitably gets one labeled as: “the place they give out healthy stuff”; never a good thing in children’s minds. (It tends to be expensive too!)

Instead we choose to distribute cheap, plastic inexpensive toys So far, the toy distribution has worked well. I have a whole bag ready for this year. However….as I dig through the bag of Halloween treats I find myself mumbling,

“Hmmm…could be phthalates in this rubber ball”

”Oh, I wonder if this is lead paint?”

“This could be a choking hazard”

“ What junk!”


Sigh. I purchased most of the small trinkets at the dollar store last year then wrote this post.
Now I find many of the items on my list downright scary! So, as I get ready for Halloween this year, I again find myself again cruising the web for a list of inexpensive alternatives to candy. This time though it’s alternatives to candy, dangerous toys and made in China.

Fortunately, I stumbled upon a few great ideas. Crunchy Domestic Goddess gives her Halloween recommendations here. Green Halloween.org is filled with hundreds of ideas for greening Halloween.

A number of items on these lists are though…shall we say…out of my price range. I want to give out healthy Halloween treats and not blow my budget doing it. So, I’ve created my own list of inexpensive trinkets to distribute on Halloween. Most can be purchased at your local craft or sewing store. Most are under a dollar. Some can be found in your back yard for free. None contain lead, phthalates, cadmium or hopefully any other scary chemicals. Check for made in China though…no guarantees on that!

Enjoy!


Pipe cleaners
Wooden beads
Small polished rocks
Bags of buttons
Wooden animals
Wooden craft people
Seashells
Crystals
Bookmarks
Fabric masks
Craft Miniatures
Acorns
Band-aids WITHOUT characters
Feathers
Large marbles
Tiny balls of yarn
Packets of seeds
Wooden tops
Paper fans

The Green Halloween logo appearing on the top of this post is a trademark of Green Halloween.org. Go visit them for more great eco-friendly Halloween ideas!

For more great Works for me Wednesday ideas visit Rocks in My Dryer

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Urgent Recall? – It’s About Time! Halloween Toy Hazards Finally Recognized

Well, thank you mainstream media.

A few weeks ago I wrote this post, Take That out of your mouth – Toy Recalls hit Halloween, wondering about phthalates in those scary vampire teeth our kids get hold of on Halloween. I followed up a little later with this one, What’s Halloween without Something Scary? and pleaded with the mainstream media to use their resources to find out what’s in these things. Guess I'm not required reading in the news room :-(

Well, it looks like someone heard my call. Urgent Call For Recall Of Halloween Toys, appeared on CBS News this morning. This article specifically mentions those scary teeth, though the recall is based on lead content, not phthalates…perhaps the researchers at Ashland State who did the testing had a different brand?

Anyway, I’m staying away form all of those Halloween trinkets this year. Keep your eye on the Consumer Product Safety Commission site for recall announcements.

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Cupcakes Not Treat Bags for Halloween

As we head into the most candy laden time of the year my not-quite-crunchy heart begins to cringe. To make matters worse, at my DS’s new school, unlike at his old one, candy is allowed! And, I found out, October is a particularly sweet filled month. Parents can bring in treat bags to school to hand out for Halloween. As so many kindergarten parents want to bring them, my DS’s teacher suggested we spread it out so the kids don't OD on candy on Halloween day. Great.

Since I have this candy thing, (my dad being a dentist, my parents never bought candy for us...Santa and The Easter Bunny brought it and we got some on Halloween but that was it...more or less and I have followed family tradition) I wasn't sure how to handle this "treat bag" thing.

At school parents have daily started bringing in little plastic bags stuffed with candy and small (phthalate and lead filled, made in China I'm sure) Halloween trinkets. I’ve been cool. That was OK, I can handle this with some judicious use of the Candy fairy…until my DS requested I make some treat bags too.

Hmmm…

My solution, as was my parents was homemade organic, cupcakes (OK- they bought theirs from the bakery – but the concept is the same). The Hamster was pleased.

So, on Sunday we ran to Wild Oats to buy the organic cake and icing mix for cupcakes. You can, of course also make them from scratch using organic ingredients. Here’s a low sugar recipe here.

We decorated them with somewhat orange-ish-brown-ish icing (we used the natural food coloring…with which I’ve never had good results ...I'm going back to the chemical and preservative laden kind) and decorated them with organic candy, my one concession.

But, of course, there was no school Monday (Fire Day) and we had 30 cupcakes in the car for the kids. We ended up walking around the campus and handing them out to the teachers and supervisors there, as well as to the few kids who had been dropped off for "before school" care, and now were waiting for parents to come back and pick them up! We managed to distribute most of them but, now we have to remake them when school reopens!

Sigh…the best of intentions….

Visit the Carnival of Family Life, hosted at Little Legends.

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Pink Skies Over Catalina...at Last!

The fires are subsiding. The smoke is clearing.

For the first time in days, the sunset is a healthy pink... not an unhealthy orange.

All is well.

(or at least better)

Become a Photo Hunter. View Blogroll


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Switching Mid-stream – Going Organic One Step at a Time.

With an eye to making it easier for the average American family to go organic, Dr. Greene, a pediatrician, has written Raising Baby Green. Though I haven’t had a chance to read the book yet, it popped up in a The NY Times article, 5 Easy Ways to go Organic .(I really love the “most popular” sections on most news websites these days…don’t you?)

To my dismay, I discovered that Dr. Greene’s
recommendations for going organic vary from the ones I’ve discussed in prior posts . Not significantly but, one of my favorite pesticide villains, strawberries, isn’t even listed!

I shouldn’t be surprised; expert opinion tends to be that…opinion. If the Supreme Court experts can, with annoying frequency, be divided 5-4 on legal opinions, I guess experts in other fields can too.

But wait…that’s not it at all. Dr. Greene doesn’t differ in opinion. He differs in approach. Despite my claim to parent in the middle, I’ve been told, to my consternation that I am a “purist”. Most recently (yesterday) by my mainstream sister as we discussed how she might improve her daughter’s eating habits while maintaining enough junk food in the house to satisfy the cravings of the rest of the family members.

I’ve concluded she’s right. (Well, duh, I thought you were a college graduate MC!) It’s a wee bit harder to start going organic when you’re already immersed in the dominant eating culture. The last thing you need is some sanctimonious not-quite-crunchy parent going on and on about buying healthy foods when she lives within a few minutes of 4 or 5 specialty stores that stock organic and natural foods….sorry Elle!

So, let’s go back to Dr. Greene. ( BTW- do you think he changed his name or this is just a happy coincidence?) Now that grocery stores across the country stock an ever increasing array of organic foods, which should parents buy organic or avoid buying altogether? Dr. Greene’s top 10 choices:

Organic Milk
Organic Potatoes
Organic Peanut butter
Organic Baby food
Organic Ketchup
Cotton – as in avoid cotton seed or unidentified oils
Organic Apples
Organic Beef
Organic Soy
Organic Corn

Dr. Greene is up front with his philosophy – lets’ see where one can make the biggest difference., Ketchup and apples, milk, potatoes and peanut butter are on his list because….those are items that we Americans consume…a lot. Ergo – change these few things and you’ve made a big impact on your diet! The same goes for baby food which is what babies eat…ummm…besides milk/ formula that’s all they eat.

The other 4 items on his list, I’d say are a bit harder for the average American to buy organic and...he agrees. Organic beef is expensive and he details the complicated reasons and sleuthing required to avoid non-organic soy, corn and cotton.

Purist I may appear to be but….I didn’t know potatoes were something I should buy organic and organic beef isn’t in the budget. But, I can certainly start reading labels a little closer and avoid corn and cotton and stick with organic KAMPP (Ketchup, Apples, Milk, Potatoes and Peanut butter).

Let’s start a movement…can we call it going to Kammp?

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The California Chaparral – a Fire Inspired Science Lesson

Day 5 of the fires; day 4 of no school

chaparral, a semi-arid, shrub dominated association of plants shaped by summer drought, winter rain and intense wildfire.

We’ve been out of school a few days now. We don’t actually live that close to the fires but, The Hamster’s not-quite-crunchy school is a little further south and surrounded by now very dry, chaparral (that’s what is driving these fires by the way) and therefore…closed.

Yesterday we ventured out long enough to drive to The Natural History Museum in LA. I love this museum anyway and its strategic location, pretty much as far away from the fires in both Malibu and Orange County to ensure better, if not great air quality, made it a good choice. It is also…inside.

Since we go there often, we have explored much of the museum. Yesterday though, we wandered off into a new area tucked upstairs dedicated to the California Chaparral. There are, of course, no pictures on the web site but I found this description:

A unique exhibit, "Chaparral: A Story of Life from Fire," demonstrates fire's importance in the life cycle of chaparral through a multi-media presentation that surrounds the visitor with the sights, sounds and even the smells of a chaparral ecosystem.

Wow, how timely! Though small, one room 3 dioramas and a video actually, we took home a little bit better understanding of what has been occurring the last few days.

The NHM brief however, is perhaps, somewhat misleading as I found as I started to research further. (This excessive research is really a bad habit I’ll have to break someday…nah.)

Many of us here in California, as well as elsewhere believe that chaparral (which is, of course southern California’s primary eco-system) needs fire to stay healthy. Not so, says, The California Chaparral Institute a fairly awesome website dedicated to the study of this wilderness, with great resources for teaching. Yes so, say a variety of news reports being floated around here and here and on the nightly news.

Digging through the conflicting news reports, here’s what I think I believe and what I’ve shared with the Hamster. Yes, the chaparral is adapted to wildfires….but every 30 to 100 years (this seems to depend on which scientist you consult) not every 5 or 10 as we have now. Some chaparral plants have adapted to the wildfires and have seed cases that need intense heat to burst. But, like many eco systems there is a natural cycle. In this case it seems to be….fire bursts seed cases, little sun loving flowers grow and are eventually overshadowed by larger tress and shrubs blocking out the sun. This creates brush on the floor of the chaparral and a canopy (of the small sort, not like a rain forest canopy for goodness sakes…get that image out of your mind) above.

After a large number or years (30 to 100, remember) the forest floor is covered with brush and those hard little seed cases (which need heat to break open). A wildfire caused by lightening (hopefully) runs through the chaparral and the cycle starts again.

Not to tough really. What is different now is the frequency of fires which may or may not be caused by Global Warming which has lead to drought conditions across the southwest. (I’m not above playing the global warming card though if it cuts down on pollution.) These more frequent fires cut down the, still immature, larger trees and shrubs which anchor the earth which, as some of you may remember from earlier fires….leads to landslides during the winter rains which follow this dry, fire season.

What’s also different is the amount of development i.e. rather than fire whipping through the desolate chaparral it is unfortunately whipping through people’s homes. With the root systems of older trees not still in place to hold the earth homes topple down the hills in the rains.

As I explain all of this to The Hamster, I find myself carefully examining my own feelings about development, ecology and conflicting interests. You may want to do so too before launching into a discussion. Those little buggers tend to come up with the knottiest questions mid explanation..

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Fire Day Activities - What to Do When The Kids Are Unexpectedly Home From School

Thirteen things to do during a rain, snow or in my case Fire Day

It’s day five of the California fires. For us it’s day four without school.

As I wrote about yesterday , the air quality in much of Southern California is terrible because of the ash and smoke therefore most parents are keeping their children inside after school. Many of us closer to the fire area are keeping our children home FROM school.


I should explain, for those of you in colder climes, much of Southern California is outdoor-based, down to the schools. I remember being amazed on my first trip to California at 12, that schools were less a building and more a series of buildings…even at the elementary level…a campus rather than a building. So, keeping the children “inside” at school is a bit tricky.

The other somewhat unique thing in this day and age is the lack of air conditioning in many, many homes in the coastal communities. (This often includes homes priced in the millions.) This is usually fine, since we leave the windows open and enjoy the sea breezes. This is not OK when it’s 90 degrees and we have to keep the windows closed due to the air quality.

All of the above creates the quandary I discussed – that is, entertaining a child home from school. Fortunately my readers came to my rescue (and my always creative, friend Tan who sent her suggestions via e-mail). Here are some great ideas for entertaining children during “fire Days’ but hey…you might just want to drag these out when school is closed for any reason.


1. Make colored ice cubes - kids really enjoy mixing colored ice-cubes in baggies. It sounds silly and way too easy, but they constantly beg to do it. Just make colored ice-cubes by dropping a few drops of food coloring in before the water freezes. Then let them pick whatever colored ice-cubes they want and put them in a baggie. As the cubes melt, the colors mix. You could vary the activity by letting them put the ice-cubes in the tub too.

2. Get out blankets and boxes and have a camp out

3. Make freezer cookies – so as not to heat up the oven. Gift of Green – how do you do this? I like the idea!

4. Create a theme for the day and think of things to do around the theme

5. Visit a bouncy house and play space. Lots of these types of places usually open for birthday parties and such also have days for the general public

6. Visit Aquariums (not zoos unfortunately)

7. Go to the Mall before opening hours...Most malls are open at 8am, even though the shops don’t open till much later. This is a favorite “rainy day” activities as the kids can run wild down the walkways without disturbing anyone or damaging anything. Another advantage...indoors and air-conditioned.

8. Go to Barnes & Noble, Borders and most bookstores for story time. This can however get expensive if your child is anything like mine and wants to buy 50 books.

9. Go to the library…this is cheaper and they often have story time too.

10. Go to a museum – in my case, this will be any that are all inside and away from the fire zone

11. Go to an art place for kids – We have a few of the ceramic painting places nearby

12. Visit Costco...indoors, air-conditioned and free samples (YUMMMMMM!!!)

13. Get a book or video and learn something new together. I just picked up Drawing with Children , which is a fun way to teach your children (and you) how to draw.

I also did a little searching and found a number of sites that have suggestions including this one .

OK- I have a few, rather more important, thoughts on the fire than how to keep my kid entertained. I’ll probably get to them later today (maybe, maybe not – kids from home from school…no time…remember?) Stay tuned.

BTW- though I didn't take this picture...this is exactly what the moon looked like last night over our house...bright orange from all of the smoke.

More Thursday Thirteen



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What We Did on Our “Fire Days” - Rhythm

We are on day four of the fires and day three home from school on a... “fire day” here in Southern California. My DS whose not quite crunchy school is located in a pretty crunchy (as in filled with dried out trees and grasses) canyon and so, the school has been closed for the past few days. It’s not anywhere near the fire zone but has been closed as a precaution since we still have fire conditions all over the area.

The air quality all over the LA area is also pretty bad and so, children are advised to stay inside and drive their parents absolutely bonkers. No, wait, it didn’t say that but, in effect that is what happens when you have unexpected days off (those of you from colder climates may find this analogous to “snow days”.) Planned days off you can, well…plan. Unplanned days off are fine for a day or two, you can wing it. By day three though, you better get that planning hat on and figure out what to do.

Unfortunately, unlike snow days, we can’t just bundle the kids up and send them outside to enjoy the unexpected white stuff for a few minutes and then come back in to share hot chocolate….which having grown up in a much colder climate I know takes about 3 hours with all the bundling and un-bundling. The white stuff we have here is ash and “running around” is not recommended, even for those without allergies or asthma…which actually is quite a few children these days…but that’s another story.

So yesterday I planned. I did so following the principle of rhythm, I learned at our local Waldorf School. Inhale-exhale is how it is usually described.

The schedule I roughed out for the day rotated quiet activities and rowdier or more energetic ones. Reading was followed by putting on a CD and dancing; playing with blocks was followed by hide and seek. Drawing was followed by gymnastics of a sort.

I found it’s a tougher to implement this quiet play/energetic play thing when the kids can’t go outside and it’s 85 degrees inside since, living in a coastal community…you have no air conditioning and CANNOT open the windows because of the lousy, fire related air quality! On the other hand playing in the bathtub fit right in with our schedule.

We may have a few more days of this so I’m getting prepared. Not quite crunchy parents of course don’t have the ultimate back-up…hours of TV viewing…but, that set sure is looking tempting. I may have to schedule in the National Geographic video I picked up at the library…just in case.

Meanwhile…breathe in, breathe out…both figuratively and literally.

For more great Works for me Wednesday ideas visit Rocks in My Dryer



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A Simple Halloween Spider

Here’s another fairly simple Halloween craft.

Take two pieces of felt cut in an oval shape. Sew them together tightly, leaving a small opening at one end. Sew two button or bead eyes on one end of the oval and stuff with sheep’s wool or polyfill. Sew up the open end. You now have your spider’s body.

Next cut black pipe cleaners in half. (Spiders have eight legs so you’ll need 4 pipe cleaners.) Stick the ends of the pipe cleaners into the body between the stitches. You may have to add a few stitches to tighten the legs. Bend legs appropriately and attach spider to places around your house where they are sure to brush against visitors heads!

Visit Scribbit's Winter Bazaar for more ideas!

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Here's to Ugly Fruit! A Photo of Our Homegrown Organic Lemon

Apples (and lemons) used to be round-ish and not so shiny. Now they are perfectly shaped and perfectly shiny. No one wants ugly fruit. It takes energy and chemicals to make those perfect apples. But if it’s not perfect, no-one wants it.Except for those that want organic. Remember when fresh food was just called food? Now it’s organic. It costs more. So now you’ve got to work harder to make more money to buy organic ‘environmentally friendly’ fruit. Working harder begets a better job begets more expensive vacations begets more consumption.If only we’d just eaten the ugly fruit.

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Home Testing for Lead…Forget About It!

An article at CBS news this morning captures my feeling on home lead testing kits.

The bottom line: You can't test these toys at home …

…which explains why I haven’t bothered to buy one of these kits.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission Study released a report today CPSC Staff Study: Home Lead Test Kits Unreliable which explains in detail their findings.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced the results of a special evaluation of consumer lead test kits. CPSC staff used commonly available test kits on a variety of paints and other products containing different levels of lead. Many of the tests performed using the kits did not detect lead when it was there (false negatives); some indicated lead was present when it was not (false positives). Of 104 total test results, more than half (56) were false negatives, and two were false positives. None of the kits consistently detected lead in products if the lead was covered with a non-leaded coating. Based on the study consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards.

While I’ve been aware of these lead testing kits, my feeling has been, like microscopes, compasses, walkie talkies and every other quasi professional device out there for non professional consumers, making one that was very reliable would be very expensive. Even medical devices marketed to those with chronic diseases tend to to have a higher degree of unreliability than the thousand dollar professional ones and are often intended to be used in conjunction with professional testing.

So, I’m not buying a lead testing device. I will stick with more expensive toys made by manufacturers who carefully watch their manufacturing and target the fewer consumers who will purchase more expensive toys and not the masses who buy cheap toys. Quality not quantity, you know.


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Recalls Worry Shoppers…Like Me

The nation’s biggest toy retailer (no, not Toys R Us) announced another toy recall today. Wal-Mart Recalls Animal Toys for Lead reports the Associated Press.

Although I saw this notice yesterday, I was unable to find the name of the manufacturer or a photo until today. It seems Walmart did not immediately release the name or photos of the toys right away. This is a little curious…anyone have any ideas?

This morning I was able to find out a little more at The Consumerist. These look suspiciously like the animals in a tube available at museum shops that I regularly buy for my DS…but cheaper.

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Tumbling Dominos – Toy Recalls Could Lead to Toy Shortage This Christmas.

I wrote this post awhile ago and it originally ran on gnmparents.com...but, I thought you might be interested too!

As I continue to read and write about toy recalls that have surged over the last month, it occurs to me that I should start my Christmas shopping early this year.

Way early. Like Now.

If you are unfamiliar with the process that most toys go through to make it to your shelf, here’s a rough flowchart. Around July or August toy marketing and product development folks, here in the US, finalize ideas for toys that will appear on retailer’s shelves next Christmas. By late fall they have had prototypes made, either in their labs or by contactors in China. These, “mock-ups” usually somewhat fragile and costing hundreds of dollars as they are hand made, are shown to major retailers, like Wal-Mart, the countries largest toy seller, Target and Toys R Us.




Most toy purchases are close to finalized by this point, a good year in advance. As manufacturing has moved to China, toy companies have had to extend their lead times to accommodate shipping times and distances. Exacerbating that, much of Asia shuts down around the New Years celebrations in late January and early February, leaving little time for changes in toy design.

In mid February, toy manufacturers attend Toy Fair in New York City. Once the place, when toys were made in the US, this was where new toys were presented to retailers each year, now it falls too late in the cycle and is more a place to pick up new ideas and for smaller manufacturers to try to get orders from the big retailers.

Early summer, manufacturers place their orders with their Chinese vendors – remember over 80% of toys are made in China, so this is a big rush season in Asia. Manufacturers hurriedly air freight prototypes back and forth between supplier and toy company finalizing details.

By late summer, like now, orders are already in production for shipment in August and September. Many have already arrived, on their way to retailer’s warehouse to be stocked on shelves just after Halloween. Looking out my window at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port, through which the majority of US sold toys pass, the slow trickle of containers waiting to unload is growing.

And now…. Recalls – which means testing, which means delays, which means returns which means shortages. Mattel, the world’s largest toy manufacturer has announced:

We are testing every production run of finished toys to ensure compliance before they reach you.

How exactly are they going to do that with toys already on the way? My guess is that some will be tested prior leaving the factory, and, returned for re-production. Some will be tested on arrival at the port and held back from distribution if found harmful to children.

Both methods will cause BIG delays! ANY toy orders that need to be redone will overload already overloaded factories in China. Any remake will cost toy companies BIG money as inventory will need to be sent air freight rather than the cheaper, more typical way of shipping, by slower container ships. Some won’t make it in time for Christmas. Some won’t make it at all.

Better get your shopping done early this year or perhaps they’ll be nothing to buy!


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Bye, Bye Dimetapp- No more Kids Colds Medicines?

Just as we head into cough and cold season, major manufacturers have removed popular over-the-counter medications for kids from the market. These are of course are exactly the ones we don’t think about until our little ones are coughing and sneezing at 3:00 in the morning.

Not all kids cold medicines were withdrawn, fever reducers, such as Children’s Tylenol and ibuprofen are still available but, some of our favorites were…you know, Children’s Dimetapp, Pediacare and Children’s Robitussin . I wrote about this issue and what to do instead here.

Now there is an update out, as reported in this NY Times article F.D.A. Panel Urges Ban on Medicine for Child Colds . Though the original withdrawal was voluntary…in other words, major manufacturers pulled the products before the FDA forced them to do so, an FDA committee has recommended that medicines marketed to children under 6, containing selected ingredients be withdrawn; so an order from the FDA to do so could be forthcoming.




"The data that we have now is they don't seem to work," said Sean Hennessy, a University of Pennsylvania epidemiologist, one of the FDA experts gathered to examine the medicines sold to treat common cold symptoms. The recommendation applies to medicines containing one or more of the following ingredients: decongestants, antihistamines and antitussives. It doesn't apply to expectorants, though many of the medicines also contain that ingredient.

So, let me see…it seems that children’s medicines containing these drugs, that is those to relieve stuffy (decongestants) or runny (antihistamines) nose and cough (antitussives) will all be removed from the market. Why? the reason given seems to be, “they don’t work”…that however is not really the complete story. Note the wording in the above statement:

“The data that we have now is they don't seem to work”

In other words…there have been no studies done on children using these drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has tested these products on adults and then cut the dosage recommendation on their children’s version. This is of course of no surprise to many women who have found, to their shock, that many, many drugs are only tested on adult males. This leaves us in a bit of a quandary. These drugs may work in children…but no one has proven it yet. On the other hand…they may not and we are needlessly medicating our children. The panal’s recommendation indicates they are taking no chances.


Whatever the outcome in the marketplace, the panel’s advice for parents was clear. They should not use over-the-counter cold medicines in young children.


What worries me though is what one panel member said:

Amy J. Celento-Stamateris, a patient’s representative on the panel from Nutley, N. J., said she was worried that a ban would lead parents to give their children products intended for adults, increasing the risks of overdoses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a list of things to do instead of giving these medicines. Most of which you will recognize from your grandmother’s advice book. But, I really worry about what many of us will do when “nothing seems to work”.

This will take a change in mind set – which if you think about it logically isn’t that hard. The biggest concerns when a child has a cold are fever and dehydration. Cold cloths and children’s Tylenol or ibuprofen, which are both still available, can help get a fever down. Dehydration can staved off with lots of water. The other symptoms as doctors are prone to tell you, usually aren’t life threatening…just uncomfortable – coughs and stuffy or runny nose. And it is drugs that fight these 3 symptoms that the FDA recommends being removed from the market.

Ever practical, Dr. Sears has some excellent advice for not-quite-crunchy parents concerned about what to do this flu season. You can find it here. So, I guess we’ll just follow Doctor’s orders again this year!

By the way, did you know there are over 39 different ingredients used in OTC medicines for children? Yikes!

Related posts: No More Infant Cough and Cold Medicines, now what?

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Off Topic Field Trips – Why Wait?

If you live in a larger metro area and do any amount of research you will find that there are lots of things to do with kids each and every day. On weekends, even more. You can start with amusement parks, nature centers and museums. Then go to sports events, store based kids activities and playgrounds. Then there are zoos and aquariums and skating rinks and, and…festivals.

In our area there seems to be a festival every weekend. The Scottish festival is followed by the Irish festival by Shakespeare days by the Greek festival by Civil War Days by The Renaissance Faire…the list goes on. What can be troubling if you dedicated to following a history curriculum that starts and the beginning and goes from there (like The Well Trained Mind’s, Story of The World) is in which of these festivals to partake and when.

Should knowing that you will not “get to” the Renaissance for 3 more years keep you from going to the Renaissance Faire? How about the historical reenactments that often accompany these events? Does exposing one’s children to these defeat the purpose of “doing” history in order?

Yes, yes, I know these events tend to happen every year, right on schedule, in the same place more or less but, who can remember when they fall each year? My tact has been to go willy-nilly when the mood strikes us and when we remember. The year we study that particular subject I’m sure…the appropriate festival will fall in the wrong season!

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A Practical Toy - Wooden Craft Folk

This is one of the best toys we ever bought for my DS. We keep several of these lying around the house and stuffed in my purse for long car or plane trips. it's a knight, a fireman, a princess, a dad, a mom and of course a child at various different times.

The Bottom Line Simple Toys stimulate Imagination!

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Making McDonalds Stay…Out!

Even in my junk food days I was never a McDonald’s fan. I don’t like condiments (yes, I know, that’s weird) and it takes, oh… a day and half, to get a burger without condiments at Mickey D’s. An adult can only eat so many chicken Mcnuggets.

My DH though was a real McDonald’s fan when we met. It took quite a number of years to convince him that not only would he live longer without McDonalds but that, in the short run, he’d feel better after a healthy meal. I finally managed to get him down to a visit only every few months (not counting the emergency visits the whole family sometimes indulges in at airports). And then…along came The Monopoly Millionaire game .

Why this game has suddenly captivated his attention, I’ll never know. It’s not like it hasn’t been running for years. It’s not like he actually thinks he will win but, something has caught his attention. Maybe it’s the E-bay component. Winning pieces are bought and sold on America’s favorite auction site. My DH, I suspect is more interested in selling random pieces that he is in collecting them for the big bucks, which doesn’t really address my dilemma.

He is back to going to McDonalds on a regular basis. What is worse, I found out is he took The Hamster with him last week. Now they’re both excited about Monopoly, though The Hamster’s comprehension of the game is a bit fuzzy. (The Hamster finds McDonalds rather thrilling anyway since the toys he gets there are nothing like the crunchy ones he has at home.)

Can someone please tell me how long this contest runs? I’d like to have a little peace in my house and not be suspicious of where exactly my DH takes The Hamster around meal time.

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Best Toys to Buy For Christmas – Blocks For every Age Group

A Not-Quite-Crunchy perspective...

Yesterday, we scored a big box of unit blocks on Craig’s List for $50.00, an early Christmas present for The Hamster. I was ecstatic. I danced around. I gloated. I was perhaps a bit silly. My DH commented, “They must be gold encrusted.” when he observed my glee.

I was perhaps a bit too jubilant. But this is important. Really. Unit blocks are expensive. Unit blocks are important. Unit Blocks are….blocks!

Blocks are one toy recommended by most child development experts. They are open ended. They promote creative play. They aid in developing mathematical skill, spatial relations and physics. They demonstrate the effects of gravity; promote social interaction and improve hand-eye coordination. What more could you want in a toy?

As the Back to Basics movement gains ground this year and parents look beyond electronic toys to traditional toys that actually ARE educational, blocks may make a come back. Looking for something for the children on your holiday shopping list? Try some of the blocks on this list



For infants, small, soft blocks are for rolling, stacking and most importantly knocking over. As they get a little older they will find new ways to incorporate them into their play as doll accessories and cannonballs.

1. Non-toxic (duh), fabric blocks and/or made from organic cotton are best, since we know they’ll chew them.

2. Foam blocks are another choice, though be sure that they are rated for infants or you'll be picking bits of foam out of your little one's mouth.


Toddlers, with their better fine motor control enjoy wooden stacking blocks. They also begin to recognize the folly of stacking a large rectangular block on top of a small triangular. This makes the following two good choices.

3. Standard square alphabet blocks are perfect for the younger toddler. The constant shape makes stacking easier and less frustrating for this age group.

4. This is also the time to introduce a small set of mixed wooden blocks. Most major toy retailers carry these types of blocks but they may be in the back of the store or section.


The preschool and early elementary years are the perfect time to have blocks of all sizes around.

5. Oversize blocks of foam or

6. Cardboard are perfect for building forts, making towers and creating castles, a popular activity with this gang. These blocks need lots of room so be sure to find a good storage container or you’ll be tripping over them on a regular basis.

7. Unit Blocks, which I’ve written about here, are perhaps the most carefully calibrated blocks around. Designed by Caroline Pratt, a well known educator specifically to aid in teaching the 4 mathematical functions, a good set will set you back a bit but will be played with for years.

8. On the other end of the spectrum are Waldorf school recommended, tree blocks . Odd shaped and including the tree bark, these smaller blocks invite fantasy play and spark imagination.

9. Action blocks and build your own marble runs are also great for this age. Note I mention, “build your own”. Pre-build marble runs are what we call “10 second toys” around here. You play with them for a day or so then you’re done. A marble run with lots of variations provides greater play value.


Is nine too old for blocks? How about twelve or Fifteen? Well no, not for these blocks. As children begin their study of higher mathematics, physics, ancient civilizations too, blocks can be a great tool to enhance their learning!


10. Architectural blocks include shapes perfect for building castles, palaces, skyscrapers and pyramids. The smaller size makes these more appropriate for older children and creations can be displayed on a shelf or dresser top.

11. For master builders, brick building sets that include mortar for permanence may be attractive. Note: encourage the reusable version of play first or you may find your wallet a little lighter as you buy more and more sets

And by the way don’t forget the old favorites…12. Legos and 13. Lincoln Logs…these blocks tend to grow along with your child, Legos, in particular targets older children with electronic add ons and building contests.

Did I forget any? Do your kids play with blocks? what good ideas do you have?

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Buy China Free Toys This Year Following The Rule of Three

I'm reprising this post I made on our toy buying philosophy since the holidays are approaching and it seems that not a few parents may be rethinking theirs.


Since I’ve written about toys often, I find myself becoming more and more discerning. (The downside of blogging- too much research means too much information.) I wouldn’t say I purchase fewer toys; I just adhere to my “three things philosophy” a little more closely and search farther a field to satiate my toy buying habit.

Like many first time parents, my initial toy purchases including many plastic items requiring batteries and featuring lights and sound. Later, introduced to Waldorf education, RIE Parenting and “crunchy toys” I began seeking out open ended toys made of natural materials.

Now I, of course, meander all over the toy buying spectrum. Our playroom features a few battery operated toys, some plastic toys and many made of natural materials. In general, though, they have only one thing in common. They are well made and can be played with in many different ways. The downside of course is that, unlike many trendy or poorly made toys, they hang around our playroom longer. Sigh.

In a nutshell, The Rule of Three, which governs our toy buying, is as follows:





Prior to purchasing a toy, one must determine how it can be played with in 3 different ways. In other words, the fewer pre-programmed features, structured choices and pre-associated personalities, the better.

That's it...pretty simple, no? So what does this look like in practice?

Well, action figures and dolls associated with popular TV and movies characters are out. Playmobil, generic dolls and play figures are in. Character based toys set the personality for the child – Batman ALWAYS fights the bad guys; Cinderella ALWAYS goes to the ball. Generic dolls and action figures take a bath, walk the dog, climb a tree and stop by the ball on the way to fight the bad guys.

What's in? Blocks, pipe cleaners, Legos, rocks and miniatures – preferably heaped in a basket rather than in kits. Though I do buy “make-your-own” type kits from time to time, once made, the play is done, so I try to buy “open stock” materials as well to encourage repeat building.

Electronic choices are not out but, are limited to those that can be played with without batteries as easily as with. Our plastic BBQ grill, at one time made great “grilling noises” – now, sans batteries, grilling sounds are supplied by the cook. Electronic learning, toys, of which we have a few, do double duty as space ship control panels.

As a work in progress, we review and refine these rules on a regular basis. We find however, that, in general, they work pretty well. We shop at independent retailers and our favorite online vendors Magic Cabin and HearthSong cruise the Internet for new ideas and make exceptions…being “not-quite crunchy” has its advantages .

More ideas for Not-Quite-Crunchy toys can be found here!


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Simple Halloween Craft - Pom Pom Pumpkins, Ghosts and Bats

OK this is a relatively easy craft (and a really lousy photo)…my favorite kind; the craft, not the photo. I actually found this on the bag of orange and black poms poms I bought, oh three years ago, when my DS was two and completely incapable of crafting. A mother can always hope.

You need only felt. googley eyes and pom-poms to make some cute seasonal table accoutrements or decorations for your dining table too. For the bat, simply glue two black pom poms together and add googley eyes. Cut some wings in more or less a bat shape. There’s a nice pattern to follow here.

For a pumpkin simply use an orange pom pom and cut out eyes, nose and mouth out of felt. The ghost, which if you look at it could double as a snowman (keep it around for Christmas) is simply felt eyes and mouth and 3 pompoms on top of each other plus one on each side for arms.

So simple a child could do it…OK maybe not a 2-year-old!

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Lincoln Logs - Low Tech Christmas Toy

Lincoln Logs are a toy consisting of notched miniature logs, about ¾ inches (1-2cm) in diameter. Analogous to real logs used in a log cabin, Lincoln Logs have notches in their ends so that small model log buildings can be built. In addition, a Lincoln Logs set has windows and doors to make the buildings more realistic. More modern sets also come with figures of humans and animals that match the scale of the buildings. The sets evoke the history of the American frontier, with such sets as the Pony Express or the Conestoga Homestead.

Lincoln Logs were invented some time between 1916 and 1917 (the official Lincoln Logs website indicates 1916) by John Lloyd Wright, a son of the notable architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1918, they were marketed by the Red Square Toy Company and by John Lloyd Wright, Incorporated of Chicago, Illinois, and were an overnight success.

More Not-Quite-Crunchy Toy ideas can be found here!

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Don't Throw Away Old Halloween Costumes - Use Them as Decorations

I recently wrote a post about an eco Halloween craft – a home made scarecrow. . .What I didn’t discuss in depth was how we found a use for old, out grown Halloween costumes using our scarecrow.










Though we put up our scarecrow in late September, we make a slight adjustment on Halloween night. We add a costume. The past few years that has been The Hamster’s pumpkin costume he wore or rather didn’t wear because after buying three different costumes, he decided not to go trick-or-treating that year, when he was two. I’m glad we were able to get some use out of the costume after all.

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What’s Halloween Without Something Frightening? – Phthalates in Halloween Costumes and Accessories

Sometimes when I read a news article and idea for a post occurs but, since I don’t have the resources of a mainstream media reporter, I can’t write it. This happened last week. I’ve been recently writing about phthalates, the potentially dangerous chemical added to hard plastic to make soft, squishy toys – see my posts here and here.

Last week, after reading yet another article on phthalates I saw my DS insert soft plastic vampire teeth into his mouth. What occurred to me was…what about Halloween costumes, accessories and accouterments? What horrors await there?

Despite searching all over the web, I couldn’t find that this idea had occurred to anyone else until now. Gary Chittim, an enterprising reporter over at KING5 TV in Washington apparently had the same thought and published this article - Toxic Dangers lurking in Halloween Costumes.


What he found was lead, phthalates and cadmium in a wide variety of Halloween accessories. Cadmium is not banned in the US at minimal levels. Phthalates, though long banned in Europe, are not banned in the US and, based on the recent recall of toys that supposedly did not contain lead paint…so what if they were?

Items that contained harmful substances included PVC masks, heavy lead jewelry and even pirate swords. He didn’t test out my vampire teeth…Hey Gary – can you do this for me?

Did I mention that I took the teeth away? Did I tell you we would be forgoing mask or make-up this year? Did I note that I’ll be going over my DS’s Roman soldier costume with a fine tooth comb trying to locate other hazards?

I’m going green this Halloween . How about you?




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Today is Blog action day, when bloggers across the web will highlight our concern about the environment. Al Gore won the Nobel peace prize for his efforts. What can we all do to combat global warming, clean up the environment and make it safe for our children.

One way is to teach our children how to care for the environment. Links to lots of great resources can be found here.

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It’s a Small World for Back to Basics…or is it?

Today’s toy news from Playthings the industry’s magazine describes the acquisition of Small World Toys out of bankruptcy . This is a company that I have been watching for the last few years as it veered in and out of the types of toys I like to buy. That is, basic, traditional toys, wooden, with no batteries, open-ended, etc.

The Ryan’s Room line of wooden doll houses and accessories, pirate ships and play sets are favorites around our house. The fabric flexible dolls that come in a variety of races , I think are one of the best diversity education tools around. It was with dismay that I watched them veer into commercial, battery operated and licensed products.



I didn’t really mind Eric Carlye and Dr. Seuss, in fact many if not most of their licenses are based on books rather than movies and other entertainment properties. But, as the licensing portion of their business grew, the focus of their business seemed to change. Licensed products were followed by electronics aimed at infants and toddlers with their Neurosmith line .

And as they drifted away from their original focus, they became more and more like every other toys company…that is highly dependant on picking just the right license at just the right time. Companies focused on licensed products must try to guess what will be the hot property 18 months to one year in advance….and many a company has found itself deeply in debt if they don’t. I wrote a bit about how the toy industry here , if you’re interested.

In marketing parlance we call what happened to Small World toys…“not sticking to your knitting”. In other words…having a great business idea and then getting sidetracked and changing it or getting involved in some other business that doesn’t fit with the one you have.

The new owners of Small World, former executives say they want to re-group and return to “Back-to-Basics” toys. To which I say, “Hurrah”. The timing is great and the market is there. We eagerly await your relaunch and…call me if you want some ideas! My readers and I have plenty!

More Not-Quite-Crunchy Toy ideas can be found here!

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Teaching Weather When You Only Have Climate

Recently we have been focusing on weather at our house. Since out goal, in both science and history has been to start at the very beginning (insert music notes merrily across the top of the previous words), we began with the big bang. We then moved on to the sun and seasons, the differences in Northern and Southern hemispheres and, since we were in the neighborhood, a discussion of day and night.

Our school globe, a dark room and a flashlight turned out to be the perfect tools to show how the sun hits the earth at different times of the day and during different seasons. Kids can’t resist dark rooms and flashlights now, can they? By actually “tilting’ one of our crew, and having another one hold the flashlight, we were able to emphasize the impact that the earth’s tilt has on the seasons. This of course, elicited giggles from all assembled.

However, after this auspicious start, we’ve started to stumble. September through December should be one of the best times to teach weather, with the variety of it we see at that time of year…unless you live in Southern California. I like to say we have climate here but, no weather - a bit of an exaggeration perhaps but, then I grew up in a place were we had WEATHER, lots of it!




And, I’ve been rather surprised by the variety of things that are, umm abstract in this climate.

Let’s take clouds. There are basically three types, right? Well, we don’t tend to have many clouds here and we certainly have very few, cumulous, since we have such low humidity. Speaking of which…it’s a bit hard to describe humidity, when the children have never felt it. Let’s not even talk about the heat index. I made an attempt to explain this, how it “feels” hotter when it’s more humid. Guess we’ll have to wait for a trip to Florida. And then we have barometers and also thermometers, neither of which show a great variance over the course of a week or a month for that matter.

Since we live by the coast, this is of course exacerbated. We did learn though that it’s because water holds heat better than air our temperature stays more nearly the same day and night. Since they’ve all traveled one hour inland to the desert, this concept was not met with blank stares.

We’ve done the best that we can with the climate we have been dealt. We’ve put out slim glass jars to measure rain. Slim jars, since we get so little rain, we can record bigger numbers. We put up a thermometer and a wind vane. We’re tackling the weather, such as it is. We will however, have to come back to this throughout the years as we travel to different places...unless you all have any ideas?

Next up is earthquakes…now that’s something to which they can relate!

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No More Infant Cough and Cold Medicines – Now What?

I’ve been following the recent story, which blared in headlines from the NY Times this morning, Manufacturers Remove Drugs for Infant Cold .A number of brands, but not all were voluntarily removed from drugstore shelves this week.

You can find the list here.

A voluntary recall by the manufacturers means, of course, the FDA is investigating deaths related to these medicines and the manufacturers are trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Meanwhile we wonder.



No parent can forget those first two years with an infant when, the average baby gets 5 colds or more, runs high fevers and generally freaks out, even an experienced mother. Like many parents I see-sawed back and forth between natural remedies and over the counter remedies, called the pediatrician what seemed like way too often and spent many sleepless nights. So, when I heard about the recalls, my first thought, was, now what are these poor overwhelmed parents to do?

Well, it seems like, despite the hype, it’s not quite as much as issue as it may seem. The items in question are decongestants and anti-histamines – not Tylenol and other fever reducers which DO work and may still be a great last resort under a Doctor’s supervision.

To some extent the fact that fever reducers DO work highlights the problem. The 45 deaths recorded from use of over-the counter infant medicines came from parents giving two or more medicines which contained the same ingredients or measuring the dosage incorrectly…both of which led to overdoses.

This is quite easy to understand how this could happen as many of these medicines combine fever reducers with cough suppressants with decongestants with…well everything. Scanning through the infant medicine aisle and trying to pick out the medicine that treats the precise symptoms your child has can be a dizzying experience.

At 3:00AM when the baby seems impossibly sick and one has tried every natural approach available, calling the Doctor, which one knows will require at least a ½ hour wait while he or she awakens and returns our call, seems less expedient than reaching for an over the counter medication.

But wait. Here’s the catch - cough suppressants and decongestants don’t work well in infants anyway! . Or at least there has been no study showing that they do. So why have we been using them?

I’m afraid that comes down to manufacturers offering them and we as consumers accepting that…if they are available on the drugstore shelf, they must work…silly us!

So what to do? When baby has a cold, natural fever reducers, cold cloths, cool baths are the first line of defense. Baby Tylenol, ibuprofen and other fever reducers have been shown to be effective in reducing fevers and pediatricians do recommend them, when all else fails and after a call to your doctor for dosing instructions. This of course means…call the Doctor for dosing instructions before exhausting all of the natural remedies; something I found worked very well for me.

For all of the other nasty symptoms that make your child feel miserable? All of those infant cold remedies claiming to reduce coughs, stuffy or runny noses and sore throats…well…maybe they really don’t do anything except, in perfect placebo fashion make us feel better.

Some better natural choices include

Use a sponge bath to reduce fever
A humidifier can reduce congestion
Or turn your bathroom into a steam room to fight congestion
For infants one year - mix 2 parts honey to 1 part lemon juice to sooth sore throats
Keep upright to reduce coughing
Use saline nose drops for stuffy noses

An excellent article giving more detail can be found here.

The bigger issue raised by of course is…why were these medications out there if they had not been proved to be effective in infants anyway. Caveat emptor gains more significance every day!

Related posts: Bye, Bye Dimetapp

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Going Green this Halloween

In my quest to tame the rampant consumerism that has become terribly chic and into which I have bought wholeheartedly, I’ve been rethinking my holiday decorating and choosing to go minimalist and natural. Well, I try anyway.

I am not yet beyond snatching up a terribly cute, imported plastic, thingamagig that I can’t live without from time to time. I have however been reasonably good at a measured approach; buying or making only one or two things each year rather than replacing the whole shebang every few.

Halloween fortunately is one of those holidays that lends itself to being eco. Despite the wide variety of electronic/plastic/voice chip decorations, there are a number of ways to decorative festively without them.

Here are a few of my favorites.


Decorating

1. Make a homemade scarecrow
2. Instead of paper dolls – make a chain of paper bats out of construction paper
3. Reuse old glass jelly jars of various sizes. Decoupage with tissue paper and glitter and drop a tea light in them for Halloween luminaries.
4. Make a pom pom and pipe cleaner spider or bat or simply run black yarn loosely through a large button for a stylized spider
5. Buy and carve a REAL pumpkin. Save the seeds for drying and the inside for pumpkin pie.


If you are having a party…

6. e-mail invitations to save paper
7. Serve Seasonal foods purchased at the Farmer’s Market - apples, pumpkin, cranberries
8. Buy reusable Halloween dishes – not paper. Many can be found cheap at dollar stores and can be used every year



For Halloween night ...

9. Buy a well made costume, especially if you have a young child, It can be worn over and over for dress up The more generic the better for more play value
10. Better yet, make a simple costume or use an old sheet for the ghost look
11. Avoid plastic treat bags. Make a reusable Felt treat bag to match your child’s costume, better yet, use a basket, pot or old fashioned pillow case to stash goodies
12. If you go out with your young child carry a bag yourself…one for all of the candy wrapper litter you encounter. You can help keep your neighborhood clean
13. Give out healthy treats. Fruit leather organic candy or small toys – put them in reusable bowl or bucket…not a plastic pumpkin ;-)

More great ideas can be found here and here


What green Halloween ideas do you have?

Please check out the 100th edition of The Green Carnival for more great ideas for going green

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Have We Been Here Before? Another Look at Global Warming

A new Book I found.....Under A Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future, by Peter Ward



...A new book explores how global warming is linked to the worst mass extinctions in earth's history. In Under A Green Sky, paleontologist Peter Ward recounts how a sharp CO2 rise accelerated dramatic environmental changes in the past, and what that can tell us about our future...

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Easy, Natural Vegie Wash

With the recent spate of food recalls, I’ve been suspicious of everything we buy, whether at the farmer’s market or at our local grocery store. Is this lettuce full of E. Coli? Should I peel this apple before munching? Is this pear more poisonous than an identified mushroom?

So, it was with pleasure that I listened to a report on NPR about an easy way to clean vegetables.

Of course I’ve seen the veggie washes available at higher end grocery stores and even taken a peek at the ingredients. While studies have shown they are marginally better than water…they may not be worth the price. Chlorine bleach or soap and water are NOT recommended though apparently major food processors do use bleach in their processing plants to clean fruit and veggies…yuck!

What is recommended is a simple vinegar wash - one part white vinegar to 3 parts water. In a test conducted by Cooks Illustrated. The solution was effective in removing 98% of bacteria. So, I’ve emptied a dish soap bottle and keep it filled with white vinegar and water for veggie washing. After the vinegar wash, I rinse thoroughly with water as recommended.

So far it works for me. Which, that doesn’t mean I don’t still have those scary thoughts…just fewer of them.

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An Eco Halloween Craft - A Homemade Scarecrow

Around this time of year it seems no home is complete without a scarecrow planted firmly in the front yard. Despite the decided lack of crops (whose ideas was it anyway that scarecrows are appropriate for a holiday that falls after the harvest is complete in most areas of the country?) or crows, I see them everywhere. Cheap, screen printed and produced by the thousands (in China, no doubt) they hang like an eerie army of look-alikes across the land.

Fortuitously last year, just as I was ready to take yet another bag of old clothes to Goodwill, I was feeling a bit crafty and decided to make my own scarecrow from The Hamster’s old clothes. This turned out to be rather easier than I thought and I’ve decided to keep up with this tradition each year – creating my own army of scarecrows in ever increasing sizes to guard my front yard.

Our scarecrow is necessarily on the small side. It was made with 3T clothes The Hamster had outgrown and so is a bit of a delight to the kids in the neighborhood who often come up to give it a hug. I sewed the shirt and pants together to keep it in one piece for easy storing, and then stuffed it with old newspaper.



The head is made with a piece of burlap purchased at the fabric store, cut into two circles and sewn together. You can use a burlap bag too. Frankly though, I’m not exactly sure where you buy one of those. The nose and mouth are cut from pieces of felt and sewn on. This step is so easy that The Hamster, at that time, 4-years-old did this part himself. The eyes are pom-poms sewn on…but you could as easily use buttons or beads.

For hair we simply cut about 20 pieces of yarn to the same length, then tied them in the middle and sewed the skein onto the head. An old toddler hat was then sewn on top. We purposely gave our scarecrow green eyes and blondish red hair to match my DS’s. While adults seem to miss the point, children, for some reason when seeing it know right away that it is my DS.

We used a four foot bamboo pole, purchased at Home Depot, to hang our scarecrow friend. I found that running a pipe cleaner through the belt loops on the pants and then fastening it around the pole in the back, worked for keeping it upright. A second pipe cleaner poked through the hat and attached to the pole kept the head upright. I used a bit of masking tape on the pipe cleaners though, to keep them from sliding down the pole.

Because this is a small scarecrow it isn’t very heavy. I didn’t need a crossbar to keep the arms extended but was able to simply stuff the sleeves. The head, shirt and pants are all basted together which made it a bit of a challenge to stuff but little energy to put up and take down each year. I did however,have to really pack the neck and shoulders (which took a few tries) to avoid extensive floppiness.

A few handfuls of straw, which I purloin each year from holiday fair sites, are stuffed into various openings to complete the look. On Halloween night, we’ll add my DS’s old pumpkin costume he wore when he was 2, over top for a festive look.

I’m looking forward to making this year’s scarecrow. The Hamster gets a little more say and who knows how it will turn out.

Check out more ideas at Scribbit's Winter Bazaar

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It Really Does Feel Good to Be Good

“Mommy, where do bad people go when they die?”

I answer slowly and thoughtfully, at least as thoughtfully as one can while navigating through 5 lanes of freeway traffic.

“Well, some people think they go to hell, a not very nice place where they are sad all of the time” I answer.

“What do other people think?”

“Well some people think that bad people are reincarnated as ants – reincarnated means they are born again”

Intrigued by this we began a long discussion of reincarnation, and the various ways one could return to earth. I fortunately dodged the other option – some people think…when you’re dead, you’re dead…end of story.

Living in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi everything large city, I, like many parents face these types of questions and need to come up with answers that encompass the experiences with different cultures our children encounter. Frequently, I respond to these types of questions with, “Well, we believe…but others believe…” Sometimes, I just give the options.

What’s most important, I believe, is to teach that doing right is …well, the right thing to do. One of the best way to help a child gain that moral perspective I’ve found is to teach him to “listen to his gut”…literally.



In other words, I always try to help him internalize the moral process. We call it, “nummies in your tummy”. That is, when he shares or behaves altruistically or just helps out, I inquire, “How does your tummy feel?” Does it have nummies?” I tell him, when I share with another or assist a stranger on the bus…”oh, that gives me nummies in my tummy!” It may sound silly but, getting a child in touch with the inner feeling that goes along with being good, I believe is one my most important jobs as a parent.

Some believe this feeling is learned. Some believe it needs to be taught. I think it’s natural and the child just needs to recognize it….like second time mother recognizes a fetal kick many months earlier than she did when pregnant with her first.

It turns out, scientific research backs me up.


If It Feels Good to Be Good, It Might Be Only Natural

The results were showing that when the volunteers placed the interests of
others before their own, the generosity activated a primitive part of the brain
that usually lights up in response to food or sex. Altruism, the experiment
suggested, was not a superior moral faculty that suppresses basic selfish urges
but rather was basic to the brain, hard-wired and pleasurable.

Their 2006 finding that unselfishness can feel good lends scientific
support to the admonitions of spiritual leaders such as Saint Francis
of Assisi, who said, "For it is in giving that we receive."

Encouraged to hear about this study, I’ve redoubled my efforts. Knowing that despite the tendency of young children to argue just about any point under the sun, he DOES feel those “nummies”… I just need to help him recognize them.

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Straight + Curvy Lines = Letters - A ha!

Young children perceive writing as a collection of straight and curvy lines. Gradually, they begin to perceive these marks as letters and understand that letters correspond to sounds.

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Take that Out of your Mouth! Toy Recalls Hit Halloween

It was a lovely evening last night. The neighbors were out enjoying the autumn cool. The kids were running around in the twilight, when, my DS suddenly ran up to me and smiled.
Bright pink, plastic vampire teeth gleamed at me from his grin.

My first thought:

Oh how cute? – Nope.

He’s getting big now? Nope.

I bet those things are made in China - I wonder if they are full of phthalates ? - Yes!

I actually have no idea if these teeth are dangerous. But, ever since the first major round of toys recalls were announced I’ve been waiting for more shoes to drop. And they have – US Recalls More Toys over Lead Content . And, more concerns arise - Lead Paint Found on Halloween Toys.

It was only a matter of time before someone started looking at, what might be called toys but, what we parents, drowning in them, often to refer to as, trinkets, tchotchkes or…junk. You know those little toys one purchases at the dollar store. The ones that appear in birthday party treat bags; are found at the check stand in grocery, drug and discount stores; and litter your house from attic to basement.

Of course they are all made in China. Where else could one make those cheap, little things efficiently? Of course they are below the radar of The Consumer Product Safety Commission . They are made and imported by hundreds of tiny companies or small divisions of big ones.

Today they started appearing on the recall lists: Winnie the Pooh Bookmarks, inspirational key chains , Pirates of The Caribbean squeeze flashlights .

Most of these recalls concerned lead content. This seems to be the big bugaboo right now. But, I don’t think the story ends here. “Take that out of your mouth” a long time parental favorite has gained even greater significance these days.

Read more on Phthalates here and here and here too!



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Alternatives to Toys this Christmas – Some Gift Ideas for Kids

Many parents and especially grandparents, friends and relatives are concerned about purchasing toys for their smaller loved ones this year. With the recent news out of China…i.e. another day another recall, toys may be slipping from many folks shopping lists. Yet, show me a child that doesn’t want a pile of presents on Christmas day…and preferably something with which to play. I clearly remember whining the years I received more clothes than toys…spoiled child that I was (am?)You too?

But, there are, quite fortunately quite a few gift items that while, not exactly toys, count as play things in most kids books. Some are old standbys, some new ideas. A New York Times article has a few . Here are my ideas.

1. Great books they may not have read but you enjoyed as a child – how about some Caldecott Winners or Great Illustrated Classics . Why not pick up some Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys or Little Golden Books? I was a Bobbsey Twins gal myself.

2. Bags and backpacks – kids love bags of all sizes and materials – small felt bags for shiny rocks or beads, bigger bags for play shopping, backpacks.

3. Sports equipment for a new or unusual sport they may not have tried – bow and arrow, juggling cubes, etc. Try to pass on the cheap plastic stuff that breaks - look for smaller versions of the real thing - Google "Child size authentic"

4. Costumes and accessories - this is one of my favorites and can be purchased cheap after Halloween.

5. Yards of play fabric, buttons or ribbons from any Fabric Store and silks – great for dress up!

6. Educational or Classic Movie Videos – Camelot, Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang or The original Charlie and The Chocolate Factory anyone?

7. Classical music, Classical Kids CDs or Books on CD for Kids - we call them "Story CDs"

8. Science experiment kits or simple science book for parents to do with a younger child. Target also has a nice selection of kits.

9. Museum Store gifts - shiny rocks, exploration kits – you can buy online from many museums too!

10. Natural Crafts kits - felt crafts

11. Real art materials - oil pastels, oil paints, beeswax crayons. They're less expensive than you might think! Go to an Artists Store, not a craft store or

12. Unusual or kid sized real musical instruments . Smaller kids can never have too many instruments. Look for native or uncommon instruments, rainsticks, percussion frogs...

13. For a different take and a fine spirit of the season gift…a basket of chickens from Heifer International

14. Pottery wheel, and kiln - Skip the cheap plastic ones marketed to kids. You can get a pottery wheel and kiln fairly inexpensively at Michaels or buy some oven-bake clay and and real clay tools.

15. Knitting machine, Loom or small sewing machine, You can buy a real sewing machine for $35.00 at many drugstores

16. Magazine subscriptions give all year round. There are some great titles for kids. Older children might like sports or craft magazines .

17. And don't forget the Gift of Experience - tickets to plays, shows etc.


For more ideas visit see:

Best Toys for the Holidays: Dolls

Best Toys For The Holidays: Books

Best Toys For the Holidays: Blocks

Links For Safe Holiday Toy Shopping


Now…what else shall I add to this list? What are you ideas?

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Pirates, Guns, Impulse Control and Apologies

Sometimes it’s inconvenient to have a non operational mother. Mothers are the ones who are supposed to give some advice on what’s appropriate are for your kids. Count mine out. And so, I have to rely on neighbors and friends to keep me posted.

A few weeks ago a friend brought over, against my wishes, (She asked my DH - who unthinkingly said, "OK"...'nuff said) a pirate gun for The Hamster. Unlike perhaps the majority of parents, I don’t buy my 5-year-old guns. I allow him to make them out of Tinker Toys, Legos, sticks, toast and his fingers…but I stay away from actually purchasing one for him. (We have a rather imaginative and remarkable collection of “made guns” by the way.)

Wimp or confused parent that I am, I let him keep the pirate gun, resolving that perhaps he actually was old enough now to have a play gun. Not!

All was fine until last week when at a neighborhood, impromptu, block party he grew angry with a very nice male neighbor who politely asked him to please stop digging in his garden, then took the shovel away after the third request. The Hamster promptly ran back into the house, up two flights of stairs to his bedroom, grabbed his gun and then shot at the man with a rubber arrow type thing. (He missed.)

And, of course, where was Mom? Gabbing in someone else’s kitchen, while her child wreaked havoc. Due to a surfeit of politeness our neighbor didn’t divulge this little shooting incident when he stopped me later to apologize for chastising my child about digging in his garden. (What? Of course, you should chastise him for that!) But, dear DS did innocently inform me later that day – sweet boy.

My neighbor, Juice, who also heard about the incident from her innocent bystander child, directed me to have The Hamster apologize. (Oh, OK…I really am clueless sometimes.)
I added my apology too. It went like this. “I’m sorry, you see this is the first time I have been the mother of a 5-year-old. It obviously was inappropriate to let a 5-year-old or at least this one have a gun that actually shoots something. He doesn’t have the impulse control yet. Please forgive me, I’m learning as I go.”

The Hamster still has the gun. The rubber arrow type things have been consigned to the trash. I’m re-reading The Gessell series- Your Five Year Old …particularly the section on development of impulse control in young children.

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What to do Instead of TV?

Today is backwards day at Works for me Wednesday so I thought I’d ask my readers for some ideas on a topic on which I write about often – TV.

One of the key word phrases that keeps showing up on my traffic reports is ”what to do instead of TV”. Since my DS doesn't watch TV at home, I have some ideas. I’ve written about that here and here and here.

Upon re-reading through, I’ve noticed I really don’t give too much specific advice for those contemplating giving up or at least limiting TV. What do you do?

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Tired of Thomas? Try Ikea - a Safer, Cheaper Wooden Train Set

Toy Recall on Top of Toy Recall

The maker of popular "Thomas & Friends" toys has issued its second lead paint warning since June. That's when RC2 Corporation first recalled a million-plus toys.
Among the 200,000 or so items on the new list are about 2,000 tainted "Toad" train cars that the company sent to customers as "bonus gifts" after they turned in recalled items over the summer.


The IKEA wooden train set may be a better choice....cheaper too!

Renewable material (wood).Solid wood - not from intact natural forests.Possible to separate for material or energy recovery.


A fairly complete list of wooden train set suppliers can be found here.

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Afterschooling Accoutrements – Studying Prehistory with Safari Hats

Crystal, once again joyfully shared our afterschooling plan with a group of moms and met the usual blank stares. We’re not progressing much in that department . Where we are finding success is in our children’s interest in the subjects we are covering.

As little of our afterschooling adventures including sitting at a desk we’ve found following a set curriculum not quite our speed. Actually, that may not be true. We haven’t been following a home school curriculum perhaps because our after schooling goals are not so rigorous. Hmmm…in reality maybe it’s just I think I’m so smart I don’t have to follow a curriculum…something to take up with a therapist.

Whatever. The point is, we’ve been stumbling around a bit this session (August through December we are covering the 3 periods of prehistory prior to jumping into TWTM, Story of the World.) We’ve used a variety of books and a number of approaches and find we’re…all over the ancient (Pangaea) map. A quick planning meeting helped us reassess our expectations and our children’s abilities and interests.

First, we found we CAN cover the origins of the earth, how life appeared and the way things evolve. The kids will “Get It”. However, their main interest is in what ferocious, ugly and interesting species were living at the time and how they might find some of those wonderful things to take home and live in our backyards.


Given that, in the context of one of our major goals in tackling this whole afterschooling thing….putting their learning in context as opposed to learning history and science, out of order, and in bits and pieces …as it tends to be taught in school, we’ve had to regroup.

Rather than check out a variety of books on the topic we are studying, we’ve narrowed it down to buying the whole Barrons, Prehistoric World Series . Six books at less than $5.00 each, they cover each of the major periods in pre-history: Early Life, Triassic Life, Jurassic Life, Cretaceous Life, The Age of Mammals and the Ice Age. Each book features 10-12 different animals that lived in the time period and tells a little about their habitat, food and size. Each book also includes a timeline of the whole series, easy for the kids to follow and review at the start of each book.

On the kinesthetic learning front, though we’d love to seek out interesting crafts and experiments to complement our readings, since the kids’ major interest is finding fossils or hopefully a live prehistoric beast, we’ve instead geared them up for fossil hunting. Safari Hats, toothbrushes, paintbrushes, tweezers, shovels and nets have all found their place on plastic tools belts. Empty egg cartons act as specimen boxes and wooden hammers, a plastic syringe and the launcher for a spinning top all apparently also have a place…for what, I’m not exactly sure. They have all come into use though in the yards, empty lots and parks in which we dig and hunt.

This endless digging, a developmentally appropriate activity anyway, has led to some great discoveries, though no live beasts and keeps them interested in the topic and running back and forth to the PreHistoric World books to verify that, indeed they have found an Iguanodon bone. No reason to dissuade them.

It’s also led to actual drawing and writing on the 3 foot timeline taped up on our playroom wall. It’s been there for two months with nary a glance despite Crystals’ excellent artwork and carefully labeled time periods. Maybe we’re getting the hang of this afterschooling thing after all.

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